Crash Kills Son Of Orange School Board Member

The 17-year-old son of Orange County School Board member Iris Tapley was killed Monday morning in a traffic accident near his northwest Orange County home.

Michael Tapley was on his way to work at one of his father's warehouses when his 1986 Pontiac collided with a tractor-trailer truck about 9 a.m. at Plymouth-Sorrento and South Fork roads, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Apopka High School officials and friends of Tapley's family were stunned by the death of the popular rising senior, who had overcome a slight limp to make the football team. He also was a member of the school chorus.

''He had a lot of perseverance,'' school Principal Albert Helms said.

''If he wanted to do something he did it no matter what it took. He was a very popular young man with students,'' Helms said.

An FHP report said Tapley was southbound on Plymouth-Sorrento 2 to 3 miles south of his home when he ran into the right side of the tractor- trailer.

The truck, driven by James. L. Harbour, 24, 4603 Sheldrake Drive, south of Orlando, was westbound on South Fork, troopers said. Tapley was dead at the scene.

An investigation is continuing, and no other details were available Monday. Tapley's mother has been a member of the school board since 1980 and was board chairwoman in 1986. Her son never tried to use that to his advantage, said Helms and counselor Cynthia Drayton.

''He did it on his own,'' Helms said. ''He was there because he earned the right to be there. He made it on pure effort. He never used the fact of who he was to gain entrance to anything.''

The two school officials described Michael as an above-average student who was a reserve defensive player on the football team, as well as a member of several student organizations.

He also was active in the Rolling Hills Community Church of Zellwood and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, said family friend Ginger Whitican.

''He was super outgoing,'' Drayton said. ''Everyone liked him.''

Students who heard of Tapley's death Monday were in tears, the two said.

''If you asked him how the day was going, it was always good, even if he had just had a test that was tough,'' Helms said.

''Somehow, I think we are able to better handle older people dying. It's a different kind of grief when a young person dies.''